Wash Away My Memories
by Roxtrox7
Summary: Zuko starts a new life hidden away in the rural Earth Kingdom. When he finds Sokka out in the forest in the middle of a storm will his new life be ruined or will the rain wash away his scars. OCs, not Yaoi
1. The Storm Begins

Wash Away My Memories

Original Avatar Fanfic by Roxtrox 7

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

It had been raining for days. All creatures, human and beast hid away in the dark corners of the forest waiting for the storm to pass. A small farmhouse stood apart from the woods, drenched from the downpour. A few fields of root crops lay behind the house as well as several fruit trees that marked its perimeter. The cottage was dark as its inhabitants slept soundly waiting for the sun to rise.

//\\//\\

Else were, not far the farmstead a teenage boy fought his way through the storm. A machete was in his hand as he hacked his was through the black forest. His body was exhausted from the harsh conditions and shook as hypothermia began to set in.

His foot slipped and he landed face first on the muddy forest floor. He struggled to stand but he was too weary to move. The best he could do was crawl under a tree for shelter and wrap his cloak tightly around himself. He could only pray for the relentless rain to stop falling.

//\//\

A small candle flickered in the window of the farmhouse. A small girl had awoken in the pitch-black night after nightmares had disturbed her sleep. Her coarse black hair fell down her shoulder to the middle of her back. Her eyes, one brown and one gold slowly adjusted to the soft glow of the candle. She quietly opened the door to the room she shared with her mother as not to disturb her brother sleeping in the main quarters of the house on a cot.

Her soft footsteps tiptoed towards the window only to behold darkness. Something was out there she had seen it, a dark figure struggling along an unmarked path. The visions of her dreams flash in the reflective glass of the windowpane. There was a man in the woods and she had to find him.

She quickly slipped on her ratty shoes and wrapped a tan dirty cloak around her shoulders. Placing the hood over her grimy hair she ventured out after quietly murmuring goodbye to her sleeping older brother. The candle in her hand now was covered with a lantern to protect the light. She ran off into the night searching for signs of life.

//\//\

Her brother stirred from his sleep, having been awoken by the squeaking floorboards. He sat up slowly his amber eyes staring into the black abyss. He lit a white candle that sat on the table next to his cot. The orange glow of the flame flickered across the walls quickly filling the room with its light. He stretched with a yawn and glanced about the room. His little sisters belongings were gone meaning she must have gone out.

He sighed while running a hand through his raven locks that hung loosely at his shoulders. He slipped a dirty green shirt on over his bare chest and quickly tied his hair back at the nap of his neck. He put on his old brown boots that were covered with dried mud. Grabbing his own equally disgusting cloak and lantern and made his way out into the cold night.

//\//\

The little farm girl had managed to find the path from her dream but it was quite thick with vegetation. Her long brown pants became covered with thorns and spiked seeds. Some of the plants had been cut to pieces making her walk easier. She soon came across a disturbed mud hole. Someone had either fallen here or there was an injured animal wandering the thick forest.

The ground was marked by handprints confirming her theory that there was someone hurt out here. She followed the path to find a teenage boy about as old as her brother huddling in the grove of a tree. She leaned closer casting the glow from the lantern across his face. He had a dark complexion, his black hair pulled back in a ponytail but that was all she could make out as the rest of him was either covered up or coated in mud.

//\//\

He had gained some ground on his sister. She had wandered off down an unused trail that had been recently cleared by some unknown force. He could see where a large knife had cut through several vines and brush.

His cloak was beginning to soak through as the rain fell from the heavens. The trees foliage only obstructed so much of the downpour. He could see the faint glow of his sister's light ahead. "Sun what are you doing out here? It's pouring down rain." He said once his sister was in sight.

What he saw stopped him in his tracks. Sun was hovering over an unconscious figure, staring down at it worriedly. "He is hurt brother. We have to help him." Sun said directing her gazed at her older sibling.

"No Sun, we can not just take him home like one of the animals you find in the woods." He kneeled down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know that we can not risk anyone knowing where we are."

"I know we are not suppose to interact with strangers but he is really hurt." Sun protested trying to get her brothers approval.

"No Sun." He glanced down at the body at his feet. He seemed familiar but he could not tell due to the mud that covered him. He reached out and pulled down the boy's hood. He gasped as before him lay a water tribe boy.

"Brother what is wrong?" She asked placing her hand on his.

His gold eyes stared at the body as he internally debate on what to do. He knew the boy but why should he help him just because he knew him. He did not like him and the feeling was mutual. After another minute in the icy rain he stood up abruptly. He thrust his lantern into his sister's spare hand and bent down to pick up the unconscious boy. He managed to get him on his back while holding his legs to keep him from falling.

Sun happily walked in front of her brother lighting the way. The hurt teens head laid on her brother's right shoulder while his arms dangled down swinging with each step. Her brother grit his teeth in quiet frustration as her contemplated his choice.

Sun quickly ran inside her home to prepare for them. She made her bed quickly so that the stranger would have a place to rest. The house glowed brightly as she lit several candles all around the cottage. Sun quickly gathered bandages and rags so that she could dress his wounds.

Her brother ignored her preparations and laid the sleeping water tribe boy on his own cot. Sun began to inspect the boy's injuries and quickly determined he needed dry clothes. Her brother got a set of his clothes and undressed the boy. While he was pulling the boy's soaking wet shirt off he saw a strange tattoo on his right shoulder. He finished as quickly as he could, not wanting to see another man's anatomy.

Sun waited patiently in her bedroom for her brother to finish. He called her back in and she set to work dressing his wounds and placing a splint on his right arm. Over all the boy was pretty beaten up. His body was covered with bruises and several cuts and scraps. It was as if he had fallen through the trees and on to the cold ground below.

Two golden orbs simply stared at the figure lying in his bed. His past had returned to haunt him. There were a lot of things about his wandering years that his mother and younger sister did not know. Now with this boy in his care the peaceful farm life he now lead would be shattered. It was only a matter of time before he awoke and ruined everything.

His sister smiled up at him warmly. She was obviously pleased that he had bent to her will. If only she knew the pain he would afflict upon there broken family she would have left him in the rain to die. His sister may have been compassionate with a bizarre sense that let her know when someone or something was hurt. But she would not hesitate if it meant her family would be safe.

"Sun go to bed. I will watch him." He said wrapping a spare blanket around his shoulders and sitting cross-legged on the old floor. She smiled but simply sat next to him. They faced the boy who was sleeping fairly comfortably.

An hour or so later Sun was fast a sleep with her brother close behind. Sun's head lay in his lap her body warmed by the blanket wrapped around the two. She fell asleep after half an hour leaving her brother slumping forward with fatigue. The boy began to shift in his bed. He looked up quickly to see that the boy was simply turning on his side facing them. "Katara." He mumbled softly in his sleep. His voice held great affection as his body relaxed at the thought of the girl who was not there. Sun's brother sighed finally giving into his need for sleep.

* * *

Thank you for reading! 

Peace and Love Roxtrox7


	2. A Muddy Morning

Wash Away My Memories

An original fanfiction by Roxtrox7

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

//\//\

The next morning Sun awoke with the sun as she always did. She carefully pulled herself away from her brother trying not to disturb him. He simply lay down and curled up towards the wall. Sun giggled softly, her brother was so adorable he always liked to curl up like a baby.

She went to check on her patient. He seemed to be fine though he was still unconscious. Sun carefully changed his bandages and began to boil some water to make breakfast. The kitchen area was attached to the living area where the two boys slept. The only separate room was the bedroom that the women slept in.

Her brother quietly stirred from his sleep once the aroma of sweet rice filled the house. "Good morning, brother." She said sweetly as he sat up and yawned. He stretched and pulled the tie out of his hair letting his dark locks fall where they wished. He smiled sleepily back at her though it was weaker than hers; he was not much of a morning person.

"Good morning, Sun." He replied standing up and dusting off his clothes. His dark green shirt and brown pants and become wrinkled from sleep. He ran a hand through his hair pulling out all of the stubborn knots. The black hair-tie found itself rewound at the nape of his neck.

"Thank you for let me take are of him." Sun said softly as not to awaken their guest. Her brother simply grunted and looked away.

"I am going to go check on the crops." He said standing up and stretching one last time. He opened the door revealing the partial sun bathed forest that stood prominently strait in front of their house. The sun had just begun its climb over the world.

He slipped on his dirty boots and stepped out leaving his sister alone. The earth was muddy from the previous nights downpour. Each step gave a distinct squish noise as he made his way around the house. A majority of the crops seemed to have survived. They primarily grew root plants, as it was so a little extra water was going to do little damage.

He turned to look at the back of the house and sighed. His mother's small flower garden had taken a pretty good beating. The bud had yet to bloom but all the rain most likely was drowning their roots. That was always a risk where they lived. The forest in which they chose to make their home was a type a rainforest though much cooler than the thick humid jungles.

He grabbed a small basket that was left outside by accident off the ground. He shook it causing rain droplets to fly in all directions. Kneeling down by the edge of root berry bushes he set his basket down. His hand clasped around the feathery soft leaves of the plant. It was a tiny bush that had large dark purple leafs. He yanked it quickly pulling loose the roots that dug into the ground. At the tip of each root were fat red wine colored berries; you could see their sweet juices through their thin skin. The plant itself was poisonous and grew odd blue berries that many a fool had eaten as a last meal.

After pulling a few more her had gather quite a few berries in his basket. The farm boy stood, his knees now covered with mud however it made little difference, as he would have to return out into the field after breakfast anyway. The mud made the same sickening sound as before though the newly risen sun had begun to dry out the over moistened earth.

When he returned to the house Sun had almost finished cooking. He removed his muddy boots at the door and brought the berried to the small kitchen area. Sun took them graciously and carefully picked the good red berries away from the blue. She placed them in a separate basket and washed them with a little of the precious clean water they had.

Her brother set about to setting two places at the undersized low table in the living area. Meanwhile Sun squashed several berried into the sweet rice she had prepared. The sweet flavor of the berries was what set it apart from the other meals of the day. She ladled meager amounts into two bowls, as she would not have to worry about feeding their guest until he awoke. She plopped a few whole berries on top of the slightly purple rice.

The two sat across from each other and ate their small breakfasts. They had to at sparingly at this time of year, as their money from the previous harvest was nearly gone. They ate slowly, the sweet berry juice making the meal more enjoyable. Sun bite down on a whole berry, its juices squirted out of her mouth but she quickly dabbed them away with her sleeve. The berries flavor was a bit watered down after the rain. Normal the berries would absorb the rain and transform it into its own sweet nectar but they had yet to have the chance.

They finished their meal at about the same time and cleared the table together. Sun began to wash the dishes they had use while her brother put his boots back on and went out to tend to the fields. "If he wakes up come get me. I need to talk to him first." He then left her to her own devices.

Sun put away the freshly washed dishes and set to work on cleaning the house up a bit. She swept up the floor pushing all the dirt and lumps of dried mud back outside. It took her only about ten minutes to finish triaging the house due to its small size and lack of contents.

The young girl took the strangers blue clothes that were still damp off of the hair they had been laid on. She hit to spark rocks together causing the heart of the stove to relight. She carefully placed the boy's clothes on top of the stove. Her hands expertly turned them over keeping them from catching fire. One she was done she lay them back over the hair to cool.

Sun began to slip on her own muddy shoes to go work with her brother in the field when her guest finally stirred. "Ug." He grunted after accidentally placing pressure on his right arm.

"Careful, your arm is broken. Well I think it is broken anyway." Sun quickly rushed to his side not bothering to remove the one dirty shoe she had managed to put on. He looked at her with his dark blue eyes. "My brother told me I am not supposed to talk with you until he does but I think he is just being paranoid. Hi my name is Sun." She smiled warmly at him like he was her new pet.

"I am Sokka." He said slowly. Normally he would not be so open with information but she was just a little girl who had apparently been helping him. "Can you tell me where I am?" He asked as she carefully helped him sit up.

"You are on our farm in the Earth Kingdom." Sun answered vaguely. Even if she thought her brother was being paranoid she was not going to give out unnecessary information. "What were you doing all the way out here. It is dangerous to travel through the woods when it is storming."

Sokka gently cradled his right arm, thinking back to the past few nights. He had been on his way home. After over a year of traveling he was finally going back to the South Pole. Aang had even lent them Appa so that they could get home as quickly as possible. When their visit was through Katara was going to return to the Eastern Air Temple and train her bending skills with Aang.

A storm had struck while they were flying over a thick forest in the Earth Kingdom. Appa had had trouble staying airborne as the rain weighed down his fur. A flash of lighting lit up the sky. Katara screamed as Appa roughly jerked downwards trying to avoid the blast. Sokka had held on as tightly as he could but another close by bolt sent him flying off of the bison's back and into the jungle below.

The forest had been too thick for Katara to find him and the rain hit the ground with such force that its roar drowned out Sokka's cries for help. He wandered the muddy woods for hours before finally collapsing. He could not remember how he got to the small farmhouse but the young girl's war m presence put him at ease.

"Sun I need your help with the…" The golden-eyed teen stopped in the doorway never finishing his sentence.

Sokka's eyes widen at the boy in the door. Wearing ratty, old, dirty clothes and half covered in mud stood the Fire prince. His face contorted in anger and he shot up despite his body's protest. "Zuko!"

//\\//\\

Thank you for reading and a speacial thank you to littlekittykat for the review nothing makes an author happier than knowing that someone is reading and took the time to share a few words.

Peace and Love, Roxtrox7


	3. Confrontation

Wash Away My Memories

Original Avatar Fanfic by Roxtorx

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zuko growled in frustration. Why could Sun just not seem to follow his wishes? "Sun go outside." She hesitated for only a moment but another look from her brother sent her running to the door. She slipped on her other shoe and ran out not even bothering to tie it.

"Zuko what are you doing here?" Sokka said angrily reaching behind his back for his boomerang only to find it had been taken. He had just noticed that he was also wearing different clothes though he did not pay much attention to his attire.

"Sit down." Zuko commanded. His voice held some tone of exasperation as well as a hint of anger though his face showed little of his true emotion. Sokka complied after the pain searing through his body became too much for him. Zuko went to the hearth and lit the kindling with the green spark rocks. He placed the leftover sweet rice on the stove to reheat.

Sokka watched the whole ordeal with anger and fear burning in his stomach. He was completely at the fire prince's mercy. Even with the threat of death looming over him Sokka's natural curiosity once again got the better of him. All he could think of were questions he wanted to ask the scarred fire bender. He wanted know how he came to be on this farm and what his relationship was to the sweet Sun who had left with such urgency.

It only took a few minutes for the rice to begin steaming. Zuko placed the now hot sweet rice in a bowl and plopped a few of the red berries on top. The helping was easily twice what he had eaten for breakfast. It was supposed to be their lunch but with their injured guest Zuko knew the water tribe boy would need it more. He handed the small bowl to the teenager and sat on the floor across from him.

Sokka stared at the bowl in his hands. It was simple white rice with some sort of pink hue to it he could only assume had come from the berries that lay on top. "Well are you going to eat or what?" The fiery boy snapped. Sokka still was on guard but the aromatic smell of the sweet rice made him more hungry than suspicious.

He carefully dipped his spoon into the food and took a bite. It was surprisingly satisfying. He ate it quickly only pausing when he bit into the berries whose juices had begun to turn bitter due to their time out in the light. Once he was finished he set the bowl aside and stared warily at the prince.

"You are going to forget you saw me here." Was the moody teenager's sole remark. Sokka stare changed to a half glare not liking the prince's tone. The firebender rolled his amber eyes in frustration. "My location must be kept a secret."

The water tribe boy raised an eyebrow at the surprisingly calm teen. "Why should I? You have caused us nothing but trouble. Why should I not tell every bounty hunter in the Earth Kingdom about your little garden." Sokka's voice was angry, as he recalled all the battles he had waged against the banished prince.

To Sokka's surprise Zuko barely even glared at him. His entire demeanor seemed off. He was not acting like his usual hot-tempered self. Sokka found himself off put by this new Zuko. He was always so easy to read because he wore his emotions on his sleeves but now they seemed tucked away somewhere he could not quite find.

"That girl, Sun who was in here a few minutes ago." Zuko started his new argument. "What do you think will happen to her if a mob came for me?" That froze the injured boy stiff. He had not thought of that. The fire nation had never stopped to consider their actions and many lives were lost, no doubt the bounty hunters would be just as ruthless, the ones that had been after Toph sure were.

"Who is she?" Sokka asked trying to obtain more information.

"She is the only reason you are alive." The prince spit back. Sun just had to have found him alive. He would have been happier if he were burying him out in the forest. "I have worked to do." He said quickly standing and heading towards the door. "If you are smart you will not bring up my past." He warned before going back out to the fields.

* * *

I am so sorry! I have been swamped with end of quarter projects and this chapter was just being difficult. I could not get it long enough sorry it is so short but I decided something was better than nothing you know? Hopfully the next chapter will be longer and answer some of your questions about Zuko.

Peace and Love Roxtrox7


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